Progesterone is a calming and anti-inflammatory hormone that supports healthy skin, hair, nails, breast tissue, thyroid function, gut health, appetite, bone health, brain health and mood regulation. This is why lowered amounts affect these body systems quite profoundly, causing various uncomfortable symptoms. Progesterone production inevitably declines as a female gets older and reaches menopause, therefore, during a female’s reproductive years, they should try to optimise its production in the body to maximise its beneficial effects on various body systems. Maximising progesterone production in reproductive years is like putting as much money as you can in the bank before retirement.
Imbalances of progesterone and estrogen can be further exacerbated in PCOS cases where there is excess production of testosterone, which is usually due to insulin resistance or stress (i.e. psychological stress, anxiety, depression, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, poor diet choices, alcohol consumption, smoking etc).